Go bananas for reading

I chaired the PARP program this year at Aidan’s school. PARP stands for Parents As Reading Partners but really includes all adults who play an important role in a child’s life, such as grandparents, guardians, and caregivers. The children are challenged to read with an adult for a specific number of minutes over a three week period and record those minutes.

The principal and I chose the theme of Reading Safari - Go Bananas for Reading! All during the three week program we had special activities that related to the theme, and we had guest readers from the community for each class. The students each received an animal-themed bookmark at the beginning and a treat each week - ice cream, popcorn (we called it "PARPcorn") and bananas.

The overall school goal was 93,000 minutes and I am proud to say that they read 170,000 minutes! Their reward for meeting the goal was a visit from the zoo at Wednesday's morning meeting; they saw two boa constrictors, two skinks and an owl. I had the best time watching the students’ faces as they saw the animals, and the rep from the zoo was amazing in the way she interacted with the students. When the owl pooped as she walked it around, she didn't miss a beat and talked about "what goes in, must come out". I think the owl scat may have been the highlight of the presentation for many of the students!

Prizes were awarded to the two top readers in each class plus one honorable mention chosen by the teacher. After the morning meeting, I distributed the prizes (books bags with lanyards and library card holders) and books for each student, chosen by the teachers but purchased by the PTA.

Several parents told me the next day how much their children liked the zoo presentation and this year's PARP program. Of course there was one woman who made a point to tell me that she didn't like the book her daughter received; there is always one, isn't there? I am relieved that it is now over, but I had fun coordinating it and working with both the principal and the school librarian.

Snow long

Our friend Cindy made this cheery snowman for us last year and he has been hanging around on our front door all winter. But after 167.2 inches of snow, what once seemed like a happy smile on his face now looks more and more like a smirk, or even a grimace.

Sorry, snowman, it is time for you to go to the basement.

As of yesterday, this winter ranks as the fifth snowiest winter since 1950. Everyone told us that last winter was pretty mild and unusual; now we know for ourselves just how easy last winter was. And last winter we lived in an apartment and did not have to shovel anything but our front walk. Now that we are homeowners, we have cleaned every inch of the white stuff ourselves. Who needs a gym membership when you can start the day with weight lifting and cardio, just from battling the snow?

On Saturday, the temperature reached 50 degrees and it was raining. Yesterday, we got hit with a winter storm. I knew it was going to be bad when I turned on The Weather Channel yesterday morning and Mike Siedel was reporting from downtown Syracuse. He was right; unofficial totals show that between 10 and 18 inches of snow fell in the past 24 hours in Onondaga County. And today is only the second day this winter that schools have closed.

But spring is coming. The Canada geese are returning; I hear their honks as they come in to land on the river. I know that a harsh winter is the price we pay for glorious springs, mild summers and spectacular falls. And I would rather shovel snow any day rather than experience tornadoes, hurricanes, wild fires or mud slides.

Update: This winter is now officially the fourth snowiest winter in the past 60 years; the most recent storm brought 13.4 inches of snow and the season's total is now an astounding 173.5 inches. Holy cats, that is a lot of snow.